News you need to know

From the upgrade/downgrade report (Mon Nov 12): Elliott had his first masterpiece performance of the year, and when the Cowboys needed it to keep their season alive. Now he gets the Falcons defense that Nick Chubb just ran over in Week 11.

Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons

FBG says: Good matchup. Last week, Ezekiel Elliott broke out of a 4-week mini-slump with 151 yards and 1 touchdown, needing just 19 carries to get there. And against the Eagles' imposing front, no less. Elliott has been the unquestioned engine for the Cowboys' punchless offense, averaging 92 yards a game and an elite 4.95 per rush. Even against loaded boxes that are unafraid of the Cowboys' sluggish receivers, Elliott continues to erupt through creases and dominate in the open field. Dallas' once-dominant front line has slipped a bit, even firing position coach Paul Alexander two weeks ago, but remains an upper-tier group. Elliott is dynamic enough not to need that protection as much as the average back, but it certainly helps him along. Regardless of matchup, he's an ever-present threat to chase 150 yards and find the end zone.
The Falcons' injury-ravaged defense is gradually getting healthier - star tackle Grady Jarrett is back to a full snap count, and they'll get back linebacker Deion Jones this week. Jarrett is actually the most important face among this unit. Since his Week 7 return, the Falcons have shut down Saquon Barkley (14 for 43) and Adrian Peterson (9 for 17) before being shredded last week by Nick Chubb (20 for 176). Sunday's big problem was downfield tackling, and Jones should help there immediately, nudging the overmatched Duke Riley mostly off the field. The team would love to have back safety Keanu Neal, but that's not in the cards this week, so it'll be baby steps forward for this group. We've seen both the best and the worst of it lately, and Jones' return is reason for (measured) optimism.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK

OPP

oSNAP

RSH

YD

TD

TARG

REC

YD

TD

FumL

Pts

7

at WAS

66

15

33

0

6

2

9

0

0

4.2

9

vs TEN

52

17

61

0

5

4

51

0

0

11.2

10

at PHI

62

19

151

1

7

6

36

1

0

29.7

11

at ATL

0

23

122

1

8

7

79

0

0

25.1

11

at ATL

PROJ-Dodds

*

21

*

*

4

*

*

*

*

11

at ATL

PROJ-Tremblay

*

19

*

*

4

*

*

*

*

11

at ATL

PROJ-Bloom

*

18

*

*

4

*

*

*

*

Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36

Percentile ranks

Ezekiel Elliott's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2018 Week 10 vs PHI (19 / 151 / 1 rush, 7 / 6 / 36 / 1 rec)

Elliott had a sluggish start against the Eagles, being stuffed consistently on the opening two drives plus Elliott had an early chunk gain called back by penalty. The highlight runs started in the second half as Elliott become the centerpiece to Dallas' impressive road victory over the Eagles. Elliott hurdled a defender on his highlight run, keeping his balance after the leap over a defender for more than 30 yards. Elliott logged another cutback run of nearly 40 yards late in the game, plus two red zone scores. Elliott was active in the passing game yet again with his eight game (of nine) this season with at least four targets. Atlanta next week offers a strong matchup to repeat his juggernaut box score from Week 10.

2018 Week 9 vs TEN (17 / 61 / 0 rush, 5 / 4 / 51 / 0 rec)

A hot start by Elliott on the opening drive with more than 30 total yards eroded to a shoulder-shrug total game impact. Elliott was patient inside on his best runs and enjoyed quality blocking on a 30+ yard screen pass down the sideline. However, Elliott and the offensive line struggled near the goal line with touchdown opportunities halted inside the five-yard-line. Elliott added a false start penalty later in the game as Dallas lost a home to Tennessee. Elliott has a mere one touchdown over his last four games before a critical divisional tilt against the Eagles in Week 10.

2018 Week 7 vs WAS (15 / 33 / 0 rush, 6 / 2 / 9 / 0 rec)

It was a rough game for Elliott against divisional rival Washington. While Elliott rarely left the field and saw 17 touches, Elliott rarely had room to isolate a defender in a one-on-one situation for additional yardage. Dallas' run game was rendered completely ineffective and Elliott's lone positive contributions were a pair of third-and-one conversions. In the passing game, Elliott had a screen catch called back by penalty and an end zone target, his lone scoring opportunity, which he could not control. It was a lost game for Elliott heading into Dallas' bye week.

2018 Week 6 vs JAX (24 / 106 / 1 rush, 1 / 1 / 11 / 0 rec)

After three or more receptions in five straight games, Elliott saw minimal involvement as a receiver against Jacksonville in the blowout home win. Elliott was a featured element as usual, but it was tough sledding on inside runs overall. Elliott relied on breaking to the outside and a chunk touchdown in the fourth quarter to fuel his 100-yard performance. Elliott's best run came as he bullied through defenders for additional yardage, including his lone reception and three short-yardage conversions on third and fourth downs.

2018 Week 5 vs HOU (20 / 54 / 0 rush, 7 / 7 / 30 / 0 rec)

Ezekiel Elliott saw more than 25 touches for the second straight game. The game script was positive as Dallas' defense kept their struggling offense in the game against Houston. Interior runs were a struggle all game for Elliott, who rarely left the field. Normally a high conversion rate on short-yardage carries, Elliott was stuffed on two of his three third-and-one opportunities this week and saw no short-range touchdown opportunities. One of his key third-and-short negative plays came in overtime, stalling a potential game-winning drive. His longest runs came on cutback lanes and when showing extreme patience for secondary blocks to develop. Elliott also had a 15-yard run called back by penalty. As a receiver, Elliott had his second straight game being featured and seeing time as a split out receiver. With Dallas' receivers struggling on the outside, Elliott offered an advantageous matchup to exploit late in the game.

2018 Week 4 vs DET (25 / 152 / 0 rush, 4 / 4 / 88 / 1 rec)

Ezekiel Elliott had more touches than the rest of the Dallas offense combined as the Cowboys showed a balanced attack centering on their offensive superstar in the much-needed home win against Detroit. Elliott saw 29 touches and amassed a career-high 240 total yards. Elliott exhibited more burst and power on his interior runs than the first couple of games this season of note. Elliott's patience was also a factor, waiting for backside angles to develop. Elliott's most promising development was his use in the passing game, where he had less than 40 yards total through the opening three games of the season. Elliott saw quality blocking on a screen reception for a touchdown and later made the critical long reception down the sideline to position Dallas for the game-winning field goal, a usage not common for Elliott to this point in his career.

2018 Week 3 vs SEA (16 / 127 / 0 rush, 8 / 3 / 11 / 0 rec)

On paper Elliott enjoyed he best game of the season to-date with 138 total yards on 19 touches. However, Elliott's performance was middling when accounting for his lost fumble after a chunk run, third down drop to stall a potential scoring drive, and two receptions and nearly 20-yard run accrued on meaningless drives to close each half. Elliott also had a touchdown called back due to being out of bounds before the catch. More concerning than all of Elliott's individual gaffes is Dallas' lack of any perimeter receiving threat, squeezing the defensive box against Elliott in all but garbage time or hurry-up drive settings. One positive is Elliott is rarely leaving the field for primary backup Rod Smith as Elliott is one of the few true foundation backs in the NFL.

2018 Week 2 vs NYG (17 / 78 / 1 rush, 6 / 5 / 9 / 0 rec)

Elliott looked more explosive against the Giants this week than the non-performance in Week 1 at Carolina. 22 touches is the norm for Elliott but he was notably held in check outside of two runs of 20 yards or more. In the passing game, Dallas' offensive line struggled to set up screens for Elliott to punish second and third-level defenders in space, routinely getting stuffed as soon as he started up the field. On Elliott's lone touchdown opportunity of the game, he made a nice cut and plowed through a defender at the goal line for a successful red zone scoring run to ice the game in the closing minutes. With Dallas' offensive line a concern in pass protection and wide receiver generally lacking separation, Elliott's receiving opportunities are a question mark with a need to set in and protect the passer as opposed to being an outlet receiver.

2018 Week 1 vs CAR (15 / 69 / 1 rush, 4 / 3 / 17 / 0 rec)

It was a tale of two halves for Ezekiel Elliott against Carolina. Elliott saw few running lanes early in the game, consistently been held to minimal gains with an occasional yard or two created after contact. Elliott salvaged a decent performance with a series of successful runs on Dallas' only scoring drive with two power runs of more than 10 yards into the red zone and scoring a touchdown on an option look with Dak Prescott. In general, Elliott looked lethargic from his typical power running self and benefitted primarily from good blocking on his most notable runs. In the passing game, Dak Prescott was inaccurate on a target to Elliott in the flat and Elliott did not beat a defender in a one-on-one open field situation on another occasion.

Latest News

Cowboys | Ezekiel Elliott has monster game (Sun Nov 18, 04:38 PM) - Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 122 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. He also caught seven passes for 79 yards during the game.

Our View: Elliott predictably took advantage of a Falcons defense that hasn't been able to stop many opposing running backs this year. He's peaking heading into a matchup on Thanksgiving against Washington. Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram get the Falcons defense Thanksgiving night.link to story